At the start of the 2026-2027 academic year, ENS de Lyon will welcome its first two Lafayette Fellows, two of the thirty recipients of the Lafayette Fellowship. This Franco-American program of excellence will enable 30 American students to pursue a fully funded Master's degree in France while participating in an international leadership program.
Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, has unveiled the inaugural cohort of Lafayette Fellows, comprising 30 American students selected from more than 3,400 applicants. As part of the program, the Lafayette Fellows will pursue a one-year Master’s degree at one of 15 French partner institutions recognized for the excellence of their academic programs, with ENS de Lyon among them.
Established in September 2025 under the high patronage of the President of the French Republic to mark the 250th anniversary of French-American friendship, the program aims to strengthen academic, scientific, and cultural ties between France and the United States.
Among the Lafayette Fellows, two students will join ENS de Lyon at the start of the 2026-2027 academic year:
- Ernest Leong, a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Chicago completing a BA in Romance Languages and Literatures and a MA in Social Sciences, will pursue a Master's degree in French Studies (Master de Lettres Modernes). His work focuses on the literature and intellectual history of early modern France. At ENS de Lyon, he will work with members of the Institut d’Histoire des Représentations et des Idées dans les Modernités (IHRIM) before beginning his PhD in the Department of French at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Josephine O’Brien, a graduate of Columbia University with a B.A. in Medical Humanities and Sciences Po with a B.A. in Political Humanities, will pursue a Master’s degree in Logic, History, and Philosophy of Science and Technology. Her work focuses on the ethical and political issues related to biotechnology and assisted reproductive technologies. With a background in political organizing in New York City, she has worked in reproductive health advocacy and policy across the United States, France, and Bulgaria. As a Lafayette Fellow, she will conduct comparative research on French and American bioethical approaches to assisted reproductive technology.
In addition to their academic programs at host universities, Lafayette Fellows participate in an international leadership program designed to deepen their understanding of France, encourage interdisciplinary dialogue, and foster lasting connections among future leaders in French-American cooperation.
The inaugural cohort of Fellows was welcomed to Paris on July 4, 2026, by Campus France, Villa Albertine, and the Franco-American Fulbright Commission during a welcome reception held at the Fondation des États-Unis. The event marked the beginning of their summer immersion and leadership program, taking them across Paris, Avignon, Arles, and Marseille. The program will continue with a session in Strasbourg in December, followed by a program in the Paris region in spring 2027. Through masterclasses addressing major contemporary issues, meetings with leading institutions, cultural experiences, and exchanges with France’s innovation ecosystem, the students will build lasting connections with one another and with France while strengthening their commitment to transatlantic cooperation.
Fellows’ welcome reception at the Fondation des États-Unis, Paris
Fellows’ welcome reception at the Fondation des États-Unis, Paris
Applications for the 2027 program will open on September 4, 2026, and close on December 1, 2026. Please reach out to lafayettefellowship [at] villa-albertine.org with any questions. You may also refer to the Lafayette Fellowship website for more information.